[KB Girl]

That turtle looks awesome! And I’m glad you got some support with the situation, that is 100% better than having to figure it all out by yourself. 
 

Are you happy with the 6week bujo tracker setup so far? I think it’s a great idea!

[Snarkyfishguts]

That title turtle is badass and I love your friend and his cinnamon rolls ☺️sounds like it was just the kind of love and support you needed!

[Everstorm]

Love the war turtle and I am glad your research is providing some sense of calm for you.

[Harriet]

The animal relocation guy sounds so soothing. How nice to have help and reassurance with that. And your war turtle looks awesome! I love the variation in the red bubbles.

[Rhovaniel]

Such a relief to hear the animal relocation guy has advice and expertise for you to lean on! Also, AMAZING turtle painting! That eye is so... eerie! In a good way  

[Sovalis]

19 hours ago, KB Girl said:

That turtle looks awesome! And I’m glad you got some support with the situation, that is 100% better than having to figure it all out by yourself. 
 

Are you happy with the 6week bujo tracker setup so far? I think it’s a great idea!

Thank you, KB Girl! I am really grateful for the support as well. 

So far I am. I am still filling in my March-only tracker in addition to the 6 week tracker because I don’t want a half finished tracker, but the new tracker feels good so far. I introduced a small circle mark for days where I don’t need to do the thing so that there is a distinction between it not being done and not needing to do it. I figure it’s another helpful addition for parsing the data. 

 

17 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

That title turtle is badass and I love your friend and his cinnamon rolls ☺️sounds like it was just the kind of love and support you needed!

Thank you, Snarky! I love Martin so much. I am so grateful for the way he thinks about others and takes care of his people. 

 

15 hours ago, Everstorm said:

Love the war turtle and I am glad your research is providing some sense of calm for you.

Thanks, Ever!

 

8 hours ago, Harriet said:

The animal relocation guy sounds so soothing. How nice to have help and reassurance with that. And your war turtle looks awesome! I love the variation in the red bubbles.

He was so excellent and encouraging, Harriet. The whole world would be a different place if all support people had his chill and expertise. Thank you! I think he’s coming along!

 

8 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

Such a relief to hear the animal relocation guy has advice and expertise for you to lean on! Also, AMAZING turtle painting! That eye is so... eerie! In a good way  

Yeah, it was a really great thing. Thank you, Rhovaniel! I was thinking of tinkering with the eye a bit yet but now that you say that, maybe I’ll leave it!

 

Hi Friends!

 

Another decent morning this morning. Woke up at 7 but didn’t manage to get out of bed and take my meds until 7:25. I was up watching Critical Role until the break which put me into bed ~35 minutes later than normal, so the lagging makes a bit of sense. Had coffee, did my Tarot, and then walked for half an hour on the treadmill. Something I forgot to mention yesterday was that I ticked up my treadmill to 3.2 for a little bit before Chantale called and then turned it down to 3.1 for the call. I don’t know if it was the brief flurry at 3.2 or the fact that I was talking while I walked, but my Fitbit read that half hour as super effective compared to all of my other walks lately.  I even had a little bit of red bar on my measuring thing which I don’t normally achieve. So today I was all excited to attempt my full walk at 3.2 and see more red bar… and then I did it and got no red bar. I definitely felt the difference in my breathing and in my sweat levels, but the app says it was only marginally better than the 3.1 walks. So yesterday was either a fluke or something strange or talking while I walked makes that much of a difference? I am confused but ultimately not worried about it. The important part is that I was able to increase my speed again. When I checked my steps I was at 4000 after the treadmill, which means I probably got 3800-3900 during my half hour. That is ~500 steps more in the same time than I was previously logging. So I feel pretty pleased with that. After my walk I had a shower, which I normally don’t like doing in the mornings, but I was too gross to just get dressed and go to work. This fitness endeavour is really trying to teach me morning lessons. I am listening.

 

It’s beautiful outside (-4C) so playing with Sax was a joy. Got to work and got coffee, then walked to the bank to do my deposit and the post office to mail some personal mail and check the PO Box, so I hit my 5600 step goal for the day quite early in my scheme of things. Then nothing, as is normal. I have had one customer today, and they made a purchase, which is better than the last two days when I didn’t have anyone buy anything. I seriously don’t know how Ken is financing this place.  

 

I have game tonight and a plan for supper (sausages and salad). I need to eat a protein bar for breakfast yet as the shower cut into my eating time, but I have my usual lunch for later, too. I feel competent with food today having a plan for supper already. Woo. 

 

Otherwise not much to say! I hope that you are enjoying your Fridays and have something fun lined up as part of your weekend. Thanks for being here! ❤️ 

 

 

 

[Sovalis]

Dave just texted. The official paperwork to create the position he’d be moving into in Latvia has been submitted. Approval is expected and should take a year to happen. 

 

Guess this is getting real and not just happening in my head. Long wait to get approval and then a posting message, but that’s expected. 

 

One of the impacts that this has on me is the (slight) desire to try and shed some more weight. I am going to be careful with this because I don’t want to get fixated, but Dave said finding clothes for him is challenging over there which makes me think that finding clothes for me might be problematic too at my size. So one more motivation to try to trim down a bit. But doing it slow and smart. I want lasting changes in my habits, not just the weight loss. I can always buy lots of clothes here before we leave and keep them stored until I need them if it comes to that. 

 

So many more things to think about!

[Salinger]

Hey Sov, so so glad that Les was so helpful. How brilliant. 

 

I love beards a lot. Its my go to on a man hahahahahah x

[Harriet]

12 hours ago, Sovalis said:

That is ~500 steps more in the same time than I was previously logging. So I feel pretty pleased with that.

 

Walking level up, woot!

 

11 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Dave just texted. The official paperwork to create the position he’d be moving into in Latvia has been submitted. Approval is expected and should take a year to happen. 

 

Guess this is getting real and not just happening in my head. Long wait to get approval and then a posting message, but that’s expected.

 

Oh wow! I hope the move will be smooth and that you can enjoy Latvia.

[Mistr]

Great job on walking in the mornings!

 

Your turtle is splendid.

 

I would have concerns about a move to another country too. I think you are doing the right things by crate training Sax and researching the steps you will have to take to transport him to Latvia.

 

You might want to start taking a Latvian course. It will make your life much easier if you can have basic conversations with people in shops. I checked and Duolingo does not have Latvian, but I am sure there must be resources. The army might have language resources too.

[Sovalis]

21 hours ago, Salinger said:

Hey Sov, so so glad that Les was so helpful. How brilliant. 

 

I love beards a lot. Its my go to on a man hahahahahah x

Yeah, he was great.  

I am ambivalent about beards by and large. On some people they are amazing (my Dad grows a fabulous beard, looks like Whorf from Star Trek) on other people not so much. It is kind of fun to see Dave experimenting with his appearance after him living with 23 years of the same thing, though. 

 

11 hours ago, Harriet said:

Walking level up, woot!

 

Oh wow! I hope the move will be smooth and that you can enjoy Latvia.

Woot indeed!

Thank you, Harriet. I really hope so too. 

 

1 minute ago, Mistr said:

Great job on walking in the mornings!

 

Your turtle is splendid.

 

I would have concerns about a move to another country too. I think you are doing the right things by crate training Sax and researching the steps you will have to take to transport him to Latvia.

 

You might want to start taking a Latvian course. It will make your life much easier if you can have basic conversations with people in shops. I checked and Duolingo does not have Latvian, but I am sure there must be resources. The army might have language resources too.

Hi Mistr! Thanks for joining me here! It’s good to see you!

Thank you, I think he’s really coming along.  

Thank you. I am trying to not be Penny Henny about things and think that the sky is falling. I just want to be as prepared as I can be. I have thought about a Latvian course. You are correct, Duolingo does not have one, nor does Rosetta Stone which is what the Canadian Forces uses. I found two apps that do Latvian, Mondly and another that I don’t remember the name of right now, and they seem well rated but are subscription based at ~$10/month. Which are probably worth it. I only found out about them yesterday. I am going to start the free week long trial of Mondly today and see if I like the format. The other one’s free trial is two lessons, which also should be enough to see if it works for me. Latvian is apparently quite difficult to learn, so I am hoping a few phrases aren’t too hard to come by, chief among them, “Do you speak English?” It’s my most used phrase in French, too.  Dave doesn’t speak any Latvian and hasn’t had too much trouble getting around and he’s been there quite a bit over the last three years, so I expect I’ll be able to manage. But it’s always polite to try and communicate respectfully with others in a way they are comfortable with if you can. 

 

Hi Friends,

 

I did not make my fibre goal yesterday because I didn’t eat my yogurt and seeds for breakfast and had a protein bar instead. My salad at supper was not the fibre heavyweight that my usual breakfast is. I didn’t manage breakfast this morning either, so just had a protein bar at the shop. I will need to re-evaluate my mornings to see what is going on. I know this morning I slept in until 8 (apparently I didn’t set my alarm for Saturdays without realizing it) and then was moving slowly and prioritized getting my walk in over eating which I think was the right decision. I can always eat breakfast for supper if my fibre isn’t up by this evening.

 

Game last night was quite fun. I ended up standing the entire time, despite there being no combat maps to run. This meant that when I checked my FitBit at the end of the day I had 8100 steps, which is a great day for me. I also didn’t eat any snacks last night after supper, so that was a small win as well. I didn’t end up in bed until ~11:30 but I think I was asleep before midnight. 

 

I did coffee and dog chores and Tarot this morning. My Tarot advocated rest today and I have to admit, I think it’s on to something. I feel low key. I then did my walk even though I wasn’t super enthused about it. I stuck at 3.2, but I was walking further down the treadmill which means my pace wasn’t solid and I tapped out five minutes early because I had some cramping in my left foot and shin. Not my most successful walk (and less than 3000 steps which is a first in a long time) despite the 3.2 pace, but I can check it off in my planner so that is a win. Then I played with Sax and came to work. As I was getting coffee in Jack’s one of my regulars that I haven’t seen in a while came up to me and asked me why the shop has been closed at 4 every time he’s driven by. I assured him that I have been open and he argued saying my sign was off. There is no way. I had to step myself off being offended and confrontational about it; his perceptions are not actually my problem. But it’s hard to not feel a little defensive when I am so very aware of all the time that passes while I am sitting here doing not much.  I am definitely here and definitely open and definitely very aware of the grind it has been lately. *shrug* What can you do?

 

The job that Martin sent me to check out wants a background in accounting which I don’t have which is a bummer. I’ll keep looking. 

 

That is my update for now! I am off to go try this language app and find something to keep myself occupied for the next four hours. All of you should post things so I have things to read.  I hope you are having sunny Saturdays full of good smells and refreshing beverages. Thanks for being here. ❤️ 

 

 

 

 

 

[Snarkyfishguts]

23 hours ago, Sovalis said:

I want lasting changes in my habits, not just the weight loss. I can always buy lots of clothes here before we leave and keep them stored until I need them if it comes to that. 

I think that's excellent motivation! A year is a long time and gives you a lot of opportunity to build healthy habits that you can take with you. Also peanut butter, I understand it's not a common staple in Europe. And a warm coat and good boots. Lai Tev Viecas! (google promises this means "good luck" in Latvian and NOT "kiss a donkey" which is "noskūpsti ēzeli")

 

You got this!

 

 

[KB Girl]

There will probably always be the option to order in clothes, they'll deliver to Latvia  

 

[Harriet]

12 hours ago, Sovalis said:

That is my update for now! I am off to go try this language app and find something to keep myself occupied for the next four hours. All of you should post things so I have things to read.

 

Okay, story time! Once upon a time, there was a bear. The name of the bear and the type of bear isn't important. Important is, that the bear had peas to eat. Or was that another story? Oh, that's right, this bear had fruits and bread. We'll get to the bear with peas later, although it might not be a bear, it could be some other creature that eats peas. Not that bears eat peas, but that's not important for the story. So, the story. Where was I? That's right, it was a story about a teddy bear. I said the kind of bear wasn't important, but now I remember it was a teddy bear, and it is indeed important, if not for the content of the story, then for the pacing. So I guess that's a sufficient introduction and I can get on with the story. It's quite short which is why the introduction was added, to make sure we're prepared and don't miss anything. Well without further ado, the story:

Teddy bear sat on the stair,

With bread and jam and plum and pear.

"This is queer", said teddy bear,

The more I eat, the less is there.

So you see, it's not a historical recounting, but rather a fable. And like all fables it teaches us an important if simple lesson, and in this case I think you can guess the lesson. Namely, that whatever you eat isn't there any more. Now, you might ask what kind of person would need this sort of lesson. Perhaps the kind who thinks they can keep their cake and eat it, too. Such people must exist or the saying wouldn't have been coined. I suppose sometimes the simplest truths are the ones that elude us, which reminds me of another great story. Now, this story is more of a travel memoir, but less of a memoir, since it's told from the perspective of a third party. Or at least, that's how it's phrased. But you could say it hints at a universal truth that applies to us all, whether travelling or standing still. I sit still a lot, which is how I type out these stories. But that's not important. What's important is... erm, I forgot what we were talking about. Oh yes, a travel story. Here it is:

Where ever you go,

There you are.

And that's the travel story. As you can see, it has a core principle that applies to almost everyone. Another important but simple truth, which leads me to the topic of peas. I said I was going to tell the story of the bear or non-bear with peas, and so in order to render that statement truthful I must now relate the story. It's a little longer than the travel memoir, maybe about as long as the first bear story, but I suppose we'll see how long it really is when I type it out. I might have to take a break from typing because the screen looks a little fluffy for some reason--too many stories, I expect. But I seem to recall that the story was important for some reason. There was some virtue I wanted to embody. Was it justice or piety? Oh, now I remember, it was truth. Well the truth is I said I'd write the second bear story and I will. Although now I think on it, there might not be a bear. Since the story is written in first person I can hardly know what species the author is, unless perhaps we argue that only humans tell stories. But in stories, sometimes fantastical things are true. So practically anyone could be the narrator, although I suppose the propensity for eating peas is a requirement. But now I think on it, I never heard of bears eating peas. But by now I'm quite firmly imagining the narrator as a bear, and can hardly imagine any alternative. So the unusual bear, or whoever it is, tells the following tale:

I eat my peas with honey,

I've done it all my life.
It makes the peas taste funny,

But it keeps them on the knife.

 

So the lesson here, uh, the lesson here is... Well, it's another bear story (or maybe not) and I suppose that's emptied out my story box. I would try to determine the underlying meaning of this profound tale, but I need to have a little lie down now. Whew, that was tiring!

[Silmarilliane]

Following, but need to catch up on the three pages

[Sovalis]

Harriet, you are amazing!! 😁😁😁

Thank you for that wonderful post. 💕🐻

 

Silmarilliane, glad to see you! 🙂

 

Hi Friends,

 

Last night and all of today have been Sloth Central. 

 

 

I got off work yesterday and was so very fried that I went home and sat in the dark for two hours before deciding I didn't want to cook and ordering nachos for delivery. Then I ate way too much (they were delicious and satisfying some self-care elements that I haven't been using food to do in a while) and went to bed with a sore belly. First time I can remember that happening in *years*.

 

I slept pretty well, woke up at 8, and made coffee. Then I played Animal Crossing. For the whole day. No Tarot, no teeth brushing, no breakfast, leftover nachos for lunch. Sloooooooth. 

 

 

At 7 pm a friend called to inquire about the Latvia thing, so we talked for an hour. Then I ate some meat and cheese for a snack, filled in my Bujo for the day, and came up to bed. I'm checking in here, brushing my teeth, and then going to bed. Hopefully I feel more with it tomorrow, because wow was I ever disinclined to do anything that required effort today. 😅 

 

I hope you struck the balance between rest and productivity better than I did today! 😁 Thanks for being here! 💚🧡

[Mistr]

Sometimes you need a complete rest day. I'm glad you got one.

[Salinger]

rest day wooooooooo

 

how are you today?? xxx

[MaeradCase]

9 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Then I played Animal Crossing. For the whole day. No Tarot, no teeth brushing, no breakfast, leftover nachos for lunch. Sloooooooth. 

I almost did that yesterday, but I stopped playing to go get lunch, and when we got back after a brief store run, I fell asleep on the couch before I could turn my game back on. 😆

9 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Hopefully I feel more with it tomorrow, because wow was I ever disinclined to do anything that required effort today. 😅 

 

I hope you struck the balance between rest and productivity better than I did today! 😁 Thanks for being here! 💚🧡

I hope your rest was sufficient to restore body, mind, and spirit. 😃

[Sovalis]

Hi Friends!

 

It was definitely a rest day yesterday and today has been much more normal. Woke up around 7 but stayed in bed until almost 8, then got up, had coffee, and played a little bit more Animal Crossing. Around 10 I decided to do my Tarot, then I started making the beef and veggie soup I had planned for lunches this week. While the soup was simmering I got on the treadmill and started my walk. After 15 minutes I needed to stop and stretch because my left calf was very unhappy. Once I felt stretched out I tried it again and ended up doing another 20 minutes at 3.1. Success. After that I had a bath and did my Mondly (language app) for the day. I have learned how to to recognize the words for “I’m sorry”. I figure as soon as I can say them people will know I am Canadian.  This is a very complex language and the app implies a lot of grammar lessons without expressly teaching them so that is interesting. I am grateful that I have experience with many attempts at learning French to serve as guideposts for how this process might work because if I didn’t I’d be really intimidated right now. 

 

I got ready for work, played with Sax in the sun (needed my sunglasses today!) and then headed to work. It’s been a full house since almost right at 5 tonight, which is good. Unfortunately I have next to no stock, so the store isn’t making much money tonight. This is not my issue and I am having to work to contain my residual embarrassment about it. 

 

I found a website to a good looking kennel/pet boarding place in Riga today and their website had an English translation which was so helpful. I like the look of their photos and what they said about themselves. Hopefully it is still open if/when we get there. Just knowing it exists is easing a lot of my anxiety about having somewhere safe for Sax to go while we travel if we end up there. I am so very grateful for the internet today. And while I feel weird about the invasive dominance of English around the world, I am grateful that I am not needing to become fluent in Latvian over the next year in order for this possible adventure to work.

 

I have hit my 5600 steps for the day and done my Darebee as well. I need a little bit more water to meet my goals but I have time for that. I think this little bit of weight loss might be coming off my lower belly as it feels different when get dressed. Definitely not going to complain about that!

 

Dave texted today and the ex ended a day early. He still won’t get home until the 3rd, but now he has an extra day to rest and maybe tour the city before heading home. They just had their time change there so I imagine he’s going to spend part of the time napping. He sounded pretty bagged when I talked to him for two minutes earlier today. He said he’d try to call tomorrow when he had more time which would be great.  

 

I have now caught up on the forums. Everyone is doing, and the doing is great. I am grateful for this space and all of you. Thanks for being here. ❤️ 

[MaeradCase]

1 hour ago, Sovalis said:

I have learned how to to recognize the words for “I’m sorry”. I figure as soon as I can say them people will know I am Canadian.

😂 That made me chuckle

 

Sounds like a great day! Glad you got some more good news regarding the travel plans. 😃 Having less to worry about by strategically problem solving is brilliant. 😉

[Rhovaniel]

Sounds like the rest day was definitely needed. Excellent job with the treadmill, too. I'm guessing it would have been easy just to call it a day after needing to stretch. 

[Salinger]

Yeaaaaaah Sov, well done ❤️

 

Proud of you xx

[Sovalis]

Hi Friends!

 

Another good morning over here. I woke up to my alarm at 7 (it plays Jack Johnson’s “Better Together” which is one of the songs that Dave and I love) and wonder of wonders, I actually got up right then, no waiting. I was proud of myself. I had coffee, did my Tarot, texted with Dave a bunch, and did 15 minutes of my walk. My left leg was bothering me a bit so I decided to not push it. I will spend more time getting the rest of my steps in after work today. Then I got ready for work, played with Sax, and headed off. I made a quick stop at the grocery store so I had a few things for lunches as I didn’t go out to do that on Sunday. I also called the vet to refill Sax’s meds and the kennel to book Sax in for the 13th-17th so that Dave and I can head to Regina for that weekend for Dave’s birthday. There is a Flames of War tournament that weekend that Dave wants to play in. For my part I will enjoy writing in an actual coffee shop and visiting with friends and family. We are planning on staying in a hotel this trip rather than with Dave’s parents which will be really nice. I love his folks but they both smoke in the house and that is not enjoyable for us. 

 

The shop is quiet so far, surprising no one. I am reading a book by KM Weiland on outlining your novel so that will help pass the time. Plus I have my Mondly lesson to do for today as well. I also should do some game prep - I need to figure out how to run a gladiatorial arena fight for Friday as Enna our monk has decided to enter the ring and everyone else is betting on her. Talk about not knowing what I am doing! It’s going to be a “last man standing” fight for sure, but I am not sure how to run that mechanically. More research required. 

 

I was a little bird and stepped on the scale this morning. I am almost down 10 lbs since early January. I am pretty happy with that. Slow and steady. Need to do my measurements again, haven’t done them since February 5th, but I keep forgetting so I know it isn’t a habit and it isn’t super front of brain lately. But my jeans fit me just slightly better straight out of the dryer, so that’s a win.

 

I need to start prioritizing my breakfast more diligently again as I am not eating before leaving the house and therefore missing out on my high fibre breakfast. It’s only been a few days this past rolling week but that’s more than I like. I just haven’t been hungry, so it’s tough. I am getting my protein but not the fibre. I want both.  Do all the things! 

 

I am feeling good about all the adulting so far today. Hopefully it continues! I hope that you are also having success and joy today. Thanks for being here. ❤️ 

[MaeradCase]

7 minutes ago, Sovalis said:

I also should do some game prep - I need to figure out how to run a gladiatorial arena fight for Friday as Enna our monk has decided to enter the ring and everyone else is betting on her. Talk about not knowing what I am doing! It’s going to be a “last man standing” fight for sure, but I am not sure how to run that mechanically. More research required. 

My DM did tournament fights. It's not balanced one way or another, but you can use NPCs from the back of the Monster Manual and/or a PC build using a martial class from Player's Handbook. NPCs are a little easier to fight depending on their CR. PC builds are harder to fight, and lengthen the fight.